Marijuana Abuse in College Settings: A New Norm

Aug 29, 2016

According to statistics presented by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), research indicates that the rate of college students who use marijuana on a daily basis has more than tripled in the past 20 years. The data, collected in 2014, identifies that the current rate of 5.9% of daily users of marijuana now outweighs the 4.3% of daily alcohol users in college settings. Despite the endless controversy regarding the comparative safety of these two substances, it is without debate that daily use of these, or any other substances is unhealthy and poses many long-term risks. Considering this information, along with the ever increasing potency of cannabis, our industry must focus on addressing the rising amount of daily marijuana users so that the troubling opioid epidemic is not supplemented, nor accompanied by a marijuana epidemic. Many would not compare these crises in the same category, however our experience has shown that the abuse of any mind and mood altering substance results in lives lost and devastating consequences for society at large. Through research and dedication, treatment facilities, clinicians and medical professional work towards facilitating a decrease in these statistics and instilling hope and happiness in our college students, without the need to augment their scholastic venture with a perilous lifestyle of substance abuse.